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Our canine friends are not only household fixtures; they’re also important members of the family. Like humans, they go through moods and get sick. And because they can’t communicate in words, it’s important for us to anticipate their needs, especially now that the rainy season is here.

To make sure that your dogs stay in tip-top condition in cold and wet weather, here are some simple ideas:

1. PLAY WITH THEM.
Like humans, dogs need exercise to stay healthy. If you can’t take them out for a walk, engage them in vigorous play indoors or in a covered area to keep them in shape. This also helps them release excess energy, which might otherwise be spent on less desirable pastimes, such as chewing your shoes or destroying furniture.

2. TEACH THEM NEW TRICKS.
Fight your dog’s (and your own) boredom by teaching him or her new skills. Like proud parents, seeing your pet pick up a new trick can be an enormous sense of accomplishment.

3. HAVE THEM DEWORMED.
According to veterinarians, worm infection can progress to several complications, such as anemia, physical weakness, and dullness of coat. Rainy weather makes our pets prone to worm infection since worms thrive on wet surfaces, which our pets sometimes step on.

4. FEED THEM RIGHT.
Rainy weather may brings water-borne diseases like jaundice, which is also an indicator of leptospirosis. Before feeding your dogs, make sure their bowls are clean, and that they drink only clean water.

5. PAMPER THEM.
The rainy season may be a source of anxiety for pets because of thunderstorms. Make sure they’re comfortable during those sudden loud noises; groom them regularly, and give them something to chew on to distract them. Extreme cases may call for anti-anxiety drugs prescribed by a veterinarian.

Like all things, weather constantly changes. Learn to weather the little bumps of pet care by making your dog feel safe and secure. Before you know it, sunny days will be here again, and your domesticated buddy can bounce back, stepping out into sunshine.

Source: http://www.philstar.com/pet-life/2014/07/13/1344240/pet-care-tips-rainy-season
http://www.hindustantimes.com/wellness/7-tips-to-care-for-your-furry-pals-in-monsoon/article1-1376760.aspx

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The ITCZ (Intertropical Convergence Zone), an area where winds coming from the Northern and Southern Hemispheres meet, will continue affecting Palawan, Visayas and Mindanao. Cloudy skies with light to moderate rains and isolated thunderstorms will be experienced in Bicol Region, Visayas, CARAGA, Northern Mindanao and the province as Palawan. The rest of the country, including Metro Manila, will have generally fair weather aside from possible isolated thunderstorms.

PAGASA Weather Forecaster Meno Mendoza says the effect of the ITCZ might continue within the next three days. Thus, a rainy weekend is expected over some parts of the country.

Meanwhile, the typhoon with international name “Krovanh” moves further away from the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR). Mendoza states two possible factors why it re-curved northward away from the Philippines–1) the prevailing El Nino, which cause most cyclones to form over the Central Pacific, moving in higher latitude as it nears the PAR; and 2) strong winds directing the path of the cyclone.

As of now, no gale warning is issued over the seaboards of the country. Due to slight to moderate seas, fishing boats and other seacraft can venture out into the waters. However, Mendoza says the southwest monsoon or “hanging habagat” may re-surge by Sunday or Monday due to an approaching cyclone. The public is advised to monitor updates from the weather bureau.

The everyday life of some students and employees as a commuter, particularly in the metro can be unpredictable and sometimes, even perilous. If you’re one of the thousands of metro commuters, then you already know that there are a lot of things that can happen within those exhausting hours of journeying across the the concrete jungle. Be ready for any misadventures, and equip yourself with these travel-friendly tools.

1. Umbrella – With our country’s climate, one thing you will never regret bringing is an umbrella. It doesn’t matter whether you come out of your house to scorching heat or gray skies; an umbrella is the perfect ally against our country’s unpredictable weather. Choose an umbrella that is light and compact yet durable. Make sure to pick one with a big canopy so that it can better protect you from the heat and precipitation.

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2. Drinking Water –Too much heat without drinking enough water can cause dehydration or heat stroke. Prevent this by making your drinking bottle a regular fixture in your bag. The higher the temperature, the more water you should consume. But don’t go too trigger-happy on this; drinking excessive amounts of water can lead to health problems, such as water intoxication and hyponatremia, a condition of having insufficient salt in the blood.

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3. Cardigan or Cover-ups – Although the sweltering heat in our country can be unbearable at times, some forms of public transportation possess air conditioning of super low temperatures, usually present in those bus rides at night. Too-cold temperatures may cause headaches, colds and body pain. Prevent yourself from getting the shivers by bringing lightweight cover-ups such as shawls and cardigans.

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4. Loose Change – Don’t expect that you can always get a change for your 500-peso bill in public transport. Spare yourself from the “papalit-hunt” by bringing with you a small purse filled with coins.

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5. Emergency Kit – If a hygiene kit is necessary, so is an emergency kit. Make sure you always have a small Go Bag, which contains the following things: biscuits, pocket whistle, small flashlight, spare pens, rubber bands, plastic bags, power bank, a small container, lighter and glue and scissors. To be stranded somewhere or stuck in traffic due to the volatile weather is always a possible scenario, so these little yet important things may come in handy.

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Rainy weather due to thunderstorms became prevalent these past few days. PAGASA Weather Forecaster Meno Mendoza said that thunderstorms are more likely to continue for the rest of September. This weather activity is linked to the southwest monsoon, currently affecting Southern Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. This will dump rain showers mostly in parts of MIMAROPA, Eastern and Central Luzon, Northern Mindanao, CARAGA, and the provinces of Aurora and Quezon.
The rest of the country, including Metro Manila, will have sunny weather during morning until noon, and thunderstorms in the afternoon or evening.

Meanwhile, another Low Pressure Area (LPA) is being monitored by the weather bureau. Located at 560 kms. west of Dagupan, the LPA remains to be outside Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR).

“Weather is a great metaphor for life–sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s bad, and there’s nothing much you can do about it but carry an umbrella.” ~ Pepper Giardino

In a country prone to natural disasters, community awareness and preparedness serve as keys to survival.

On September 10, 2012, Panahon TV, produced by UBE Media in cooperation with the Philippine Communications Operations Office (PCOO), People’s Television Network (PTV), PAGASA-DOST and Air21, was first aired on national television.

From Day One, the team has grown bigger, fulfilling bigger dreams for the show and its viewers. But aside from the weather updates that the program offers every day, Panahon TV has its own stories to tell – stories also symbolized by weather.
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Storms
In the past three years, Panahon TV monitored a lot of weather disturbances, including tropical cylones from the exterior to the interior of the Philippine boundary. These include Pablo, Quinta, Maring, Yolanda, Glenda, Ruby and Chedeng, just to name a few. Together with PAGASA, Panahon TV has been doing its best to help save lives by providing accurate and timely weather updates to inform and aid citizens in making necessary preparations.

Sunshine
Through the years, Panahon TV has been consistently recognized by different organizations due to its outstanding efforts on public service.
Awards include the Wind Vane Award, Gawad Scriba and Anak TV Award. Panahon TV was also acknowledged by the Department of Education (DepEd) for its BERT (Batang Emergency Response Team) Workshop, which aims to make students and teachers disaster-ready. Just recently, Panahon TV became a part of the 3rd United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Japan.

Rain
They say when it rains, it pours. True enough, Panahon TV now has various partners in multimedia platforms such as the radio, newspaper and the web. Our radio partners include DZIQ and DWIZ, while print partners include Business Mirror, Manila Times, Business World, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Philippine Star, Manila Bulletin, Cebu Daily News, Inquirer Catalyst Media, United Daily News,United Daily Press, Inquirer Golf, Bandera, Libre and Pilipino Mirror.

On the web, Panahon TV makes its presence felt through its regularly updated website and feature articles that tackle a variety of topics on health, disaster preparedness, environment, among others.

Rainbows
Rainbows comes after storms in the same way that Panahon TV not only provides information, but also monitors the aftermath of natural disasters, and helps rebuild lives.

On October 15, 2013, Panahon TV flew to Bohol to produce a special segment on the first year anniversary of the magnitude 7.2 earthquake that shook Bohol. The team witnessed how Boholanos recovered and continued to rise above the impact of the powerful quake.

A few days after Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), considered as the strongest cyclone to make landfall in 2013, smashed the region of Visayas, Panahon TV immediately paired up with Tacloban’s First Response Radio to disseminate weather updates to the affected communities. The team also participated in donating and promoting recovery plans.

In 2014, Panahon TV revisited Tacloban, one of Yolanda’s hardly hit areas. This short visit aimed to assess the progress and share stories of hope from the people who survived the catastrophe.


Three years and counting
As we, at Panahon TV, celebrate our 3rd Anniversary today, we reminisce our humble beginnings and thank everyone who continuously support our program. The weather may be unpredictable, but one thing is for sure: we will continue serving the public – “dahil sa Panahon TV, walang pinipiling panahon ang pagbibigay impormasyon!”

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<brToday the southwest monsoon is affecting Palawan and the western section of Visayas and Mindanao. Cloudy skies with light to moderate rains and isolated thunderstorms will be experienced over Western Visayas, Caraga northern Mindanao and the province of Palawan.
Meanwhile, partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated thunderstorms will prevail over Metro Manila and the rest of the country.
Last night, most parts of Metro Manila were soaked in heavy rain showers. PAGASA Weather Forecaster Meno Mendoza said that the rain showers were cauesd mainly by thunderstorm activities. The accumulated heat from noon until early afternoon resulted to the formation of thunderstorm clouds. These give rise to rain that usually pours between 5 PM – 11 PM. To understand more about thunderstorms, watch this video:Panahon TV interview with PAGASA.

HUNGRY

It’s an all-too familiar scenario: when the rains fall and temperatures drop, you find yourself heading to the office pantry, the kitchen, the nearest café, or wherever you can score your fill of munchies.

But what is it about the cold weather that makes us want to consume more calories? Well, according to Executive Chef slash Nutritionist Ma. Lourdes Cruz-Caudal, we tend to eat more during cold weather because our body needs to maintain its normal body heat or temperature. A way to cope with the cold is through eating, since calories are transformed into energy or heat.

But for those who are watching their weight, you don’t need to worry about the keeping the cravings on a tight leash. According to Chef Lourdes, one only needs to make the right food choices.

• Veer away from animal fats in meats like pork and beef, which can be converted to cholesterol that can lead to high blood pressure. Instead, go for the healthier alternative: fruits, vegetables and fish oils, the latter containing heart-healthy essential fatty acids.
• Avoid too much consumption of salty foods, such as junk food as these can cause illnesses like hypertension.
• If you’re fond of spicy food, go for it. Though Koreans thrive in spicy dishes that help warm the bodies, Chef Lourdes warns those with delicate stomachs against its consumption, as spicy food can trigger discomfort and even ulcer in some.

So don’t despair if you’re munching more than usual these “ber” months. Quality matters much more than quantity. When in doubt, you may consult a dietitian or nutritionist to plot out a menu, and compute your required calorie intake, which is according to your height and weight. But if you don’t have the budget, you can D-I-Y your food plan on the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) website and look for the topic, Food-based dietary guidelines Philippines.

A few days before September, netizens were already expressing their enthusiasm over the approaching “ber” months. For us, Filipinos, the holiday season unofficially begins at this period, when we anticipate the most festive time of the year.

But as we await the Christmas season, the weather also undergoes changes. Normally, this month, the southwest monsoon or hanging habagat gradually weakens. Since its onset on June, the habagat has been causing heavy downpour, experienced mostly in the western section of the country.

After the habagat, the winds will shift, giving way to the northeast monsoon or hanging amihan. This weather system usually kicks in late October, bringing cold and dry air. The presence of amihan may also mean slightly cooler mornings mostly in the northern part of Luzon. In 2014, the onset of amihan occurred on October 16.
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Aside from the anticipated arrival of amihan, there is also an interesting astronomical event to look forward to this month – the Autumnal or September Equinox. Derived from the latin word aequus meaning equal, and nox, which means night, equinox refers to the time of the year where there is equal day and night time.

PAGASA’s astronomical diary says that the equinox will occur on September 23, 2015 at 4:20 PM. This event will mark the start of longer nights in the Philippines as the sun moves below the celestial equator. Longer nights equate to shorter exposure to sunlight, thus, colder weather may slowly begin after the equinox.

Meanwhile, in December, we will have the shortest day and the longest night of the year, marking the Winter Solstice in the northern hemisphere. Although the Philippines does not have winter, we experience cooler temperatures at this time because we are located in the northern half of the Earth.

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However, with the prevailing El Niño phenomenon, PAGASA says temperatures this year may not be as low as the previous year’s. El Niño is the unusual warming of the ocean and rising sea surface temperature (SST) over the Central and Eastern Equatorial Pacific (CEEP).

Latest forecasts from different weather and climate agencies show that El Niño may strengthen and continue beyond the ber months, lasting until May of 2016. The usual chilly ber months may become a little warmer this year, except in the mountainous areas in the north.

Sources:
PAGASA-DOST
World Meteorological Organization

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The southwest monsoon, locally knows as “habagat,” is now affecting Palawan, Visayas and Mindanao. This weather system will bring light to moderate rain showers in Western Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, CARAGA and the provinces of Palawan. Aside from the rain showers, humid weather is also expected to prevail today.

The rest of Luzon, including Metro Manila, will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rains or thunderstorms. PAGASA Weather Forecaster Jori Loiz said Metro Manila is not directly affected by the southwest monsoon. The rain showers, which mostly occur in the afternoon or evening, are due to thunderstorms activity.